Just Outside My Door

October 17, 2013

Our beautiful warm, sunny weather continues as of the 12th and it appears it will continue even longer. Some days it seems like it is still summer until you see that the trees are losing their leaves and the ground is covered with gold. We certainly have had plenty of warm days this year to get all those fall tasks completed before snow flies. But if you haven't yet finished, you still have until Nov. 3 before the time changes and it gets dark around 5 o'clock, so outdoor work is at a stand still. Perhaps by then we will have some snow.

Although I don't do a lot of outdoor tasks these days, I do have some bulbs to plant. I need to do them soon or it will be cold outside and I don't like working there then. Also I need to get my rambler roses trimmed and the weeds pulled along the fence so they don't get bigger than the flowers. I'll have to give my Amish lad a call for those tasks because they are not on my list anymore.

Speaking of happenings outside this time of year, have you noticed how the silence is beginning out there? The insect music has almost ceased as have other summer and Autumn sounds such as bird voices, except for the hooting owls. The loudest voice now comes from the rustling leaves on the ground. Our outdoor area is beginning to open up more too as the trees are losing their leaves. We can see our neighbors more easily and the smoke that rises from some of their chimneys. We will soon be able to see more of our woodland and more wild critters and animals than we do in summer. The deer, squirrels, turkey and more come more often as Autumn progresses and winter arrives to cover up some of their food sources. Since apples are very plentiful this year, the deer and turkeys are already coming to dine on the corn and other food we have put out for them. We don't have any nut trees, but the chipmunks and squirrels have been scurrying to and fro, their cheeks fat as they carry food and store it for winter. The latter chatters a warning if one of its brothers come near. They are quite entertaining and it's fun to watch them.

Although I have enjoyed all the birds singing and other wonderful sounds and activities of summer, I welcome the silence as it descends gradually throughout Autumn and by winter that silence has arrived. It brings to me a time of reflection of days gone by and the anticipation of the holiday season and a new year of beginning. Sometimes it's good to express one's feelings in a poem instead of just words, so I give you the following:

IT'S AUTUMN TIME AGAIN

Autumn has arrived with all its beauty.

Trees are dressed in orange, yellow and red.

The fields have been left bare of their bounty,

But its all stored in its winter bed.

There's still beauty just outside your door.

You can see last summer's bird nests in naked trees,

Bright right red berries on shrubs and more,

Just watch the birds devour all of these.

Then when the driven snow comes,

Look out your window on a sunny day,

And see all the jewels strewn across your yard,

And dream about a day in May.

Don't worry bout what's coming tomorrow,

Just enjoy all the beauty of today.

When you have days of sorrow,

The best way to live it is to pray.

When the snow begins to arrive I enjoy watching it drift down and cover all the bareness outside my door. It reminds me of the words of David in the Psalms after he had sinned, when he asked God to "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."